Another film that may not win anything on the night is The Martian. Early on, Oscar pundits predicted it could take Best Director and Best Picture, as audiences and critics alike raved about the film upon its release. In a weaker year, The Martian would have a great shot at Best Picture, but its Oscar buzz has all but fizzled out.
The campaign behind the film pushed it as a testament to the strength of the human spirit, but that narrative hasn’t picked up speed. The Academy usually looks for a Best Picture winner to have a bit more weight to it, something we saw in 2010 when The Hurt Locker beat Avatar.
As well as that, The Martian was shut out by the Screen Actors Guild, who snubbed both lead actor Matt Damon and the cast for Best Ensemble. But it wasn’t until Ridley Scott was left out of the Best Director nominations that people wrote the film off entirely. Unless there’s a surprise win for Drew Goddard in Best Adapted Screenplay, The Martian may lose out on the night.
The Martian also suffers as it is a heavy genre film, something Mad Max: Fury Road has run up against as well. It’s an unusual pick for Best Picture: it’s an action movie, it’s a sequel/quasi-reboot, and it’s a very unconventional film.
